


RA Oneshots

by Eadlyn



Category: Merlin (TV), Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: Fluff, Mostly Cannon Compliant, Oneshot, not my dialogue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-24 18:40:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19729498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eadlyn/pseuds/Eadlyn
Summary: These are a couple of one-shots from the Ranger's Apprentice series that centre around a couple of my favourite scenes from Merlin just because. You don't have to have watched Merlin to understand these, they are just fluffy one-shots. Credit to John Flanagan and the BBC.





	1. I fell asleep while I was reading

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set at some point during Will's apprenticeship.

Will’s eyes cracked open and were met with the early morning sun streaming through the gaps in his curtains. He let out a quiet groan, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep; but he knew that if he did, Halt would be in with a bucket of cold water and he really didn’t want that.

With that thought at the forefront of his mind, Will begrudgingly kicked off his covers and dressed quickly. Once he had ensured that he would meet Halt’s standards of neatness (which to be honest weren’t very high), he walked over to the cabinet in the corner of his room and picked up a stack of papers.

Halt had left for a ‘very important meeting’ with the Baron the previous day and hadn’t returned by the time Will had gone to bed. But, in his absence, Will had been tasked with writing a comprehensive essay on the relations between Araluen and Celtica. The tasked had been dull but had kept him busy in the hours without his mentor. 

Will checked the water clock on his wall and decided he had a few minutes to read over what he had written. This was a good thing because shoddy workmanship and rushed jobs were on the long list of things Halt deemed unacceptable from his apprentice. 

Once Will had read through his essay, correcting minor errors as he went along, he thought Halt would be satisfied with his work. He then stood up, opened his door and walked into the kitchen, expecting to see Halt walking around.

However, the sight that met his eyes made will stop in his tracks and gawp unashamedly. Because Halt was sitting at the kitchen table, sound asleep with his head partially in his bowl of stew.

Will stood there, unsure of what to do. He knew he should probably wake Halt but he knew that a night sleeping on the table would not be good for the man’s already sour nature. Not to mention the fact that Will doubted he would be able to keep a straight face if Halt sat up with stew on his face.

After a few more moments of deliberation, Will concluded it was probably in his best interests to wake Halt up. However, he decided to do it subtly. He walked closer to the table and dropped his essay on it, making an audible sound.

Halt shot up, his eyes opening suddenly. He had stew on the left side of his face and streaked in his salt and pepper hair.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you”, Will said, trying and failing to keep the smile off his face.

“You didn’t scare me, I was asleep”, said Halt and Will’s poorly disguised grin grew.

“Why’ve you got that stupid smile on your face?”, Halt said gruffly.

“It’s nothing”, Will replied, apprehension aiding his efforts to control his expression. “Why were you sleeping with your head on the table?”, Will asked innocently.

“I fell asleep while I was reading”.

“What were you reading?”, Will asked, making a show of scanning the empty table, his amusement growing.

Halt was silent for several seconds, “I am a respected senior ranger, I do not have to answer to the likes of you”.

Will let some of his amusement show through in a small smile, “Oh, you’re in a good mood, you obviously got up on the wrong side of the table”. He let out a small laugh but felt the need to explain when Halt’s face remained blank. “Get it, the wrong side of the bed, but you slept on the table”.

“That was extremely clever and funny, Will, there really are no limits to your wit, now will you please just make some breakfast”.

“Right”, said Will. He turned away to start on the breakfast but a smirk stayed firmly on his face.

Meanwhile, Halt picked up his spoon and looked at his reflection, “Will!”, he shouted.

\-------------------- a couple of hours later ---------------------------

Will and Halt road into Redmont to get some supplies. Will’s amusement had decreased after Halt had cuffed him over the head, but had not entirely faded. He spent the ride subtly smiling to himself so Halt couldn’t see. The main source of his amusement was that Halt hadn’t managed to get all of the stew out of his hair, and was now unknowing riding along with chunks of brown in amongst the black and grey.

Unfortunately, during their shopping, they ran into Lady Pauline who had immediately started a long and involved conversation with Halt, to both of their enjoyment. However, halfway through, Lady Pauline paused.

“What’s that in your hair, Halt?”, she asked.

Will couldn’t resist, “It’s stew”, he said, smiling.

“Why do you have stew in your hair?”, she asked, confused.

Again, Will piped up, “Well, because he was reading”, he said as if it were obvious.

Halt cuffed him over the head again and spoke in a low menacing voice, “You’re sleeping in the tree tonight, boy”.


	2. I'm a knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set during the Seige of Macindaw. It's very short, but the next one is going to be longer :)

Will and Horace were sitting together under their collapsed cart. Horace had thankfully stopped his pitiful attempts at poetry, and they were sitting together in companionable silence. Despite Will’s attempts to keep his thoughts pragmatic and logical as Halt had taught him, he kept thinking of Alyss, which never failed to make him feel emotional. 

He was still angry at himself for throwing away his shot at rescuing her. He knew it was unavoidable, and they would have both been killed if he had stayed, but the thought of leaving her there still hurt him.

Horace saw Will deep in thought and guessed what was causing him so much anguish from the lines of worry etched on his friend’s face. He wracked his brains for a way to cheer him up.

“Oi, cheer up”, he said, giving Will a hearty punch on his left arm.

“How’s punching me in the arm meant to cheer me up?”, he asked, his voice a mix of confusion and exasperation.

“It works with the knights”, Horace said, slightly bemused.

“Well, they’re thick, aren’t they”, Will said, a small smile now asserting itself on his previously sombre face.

“I’m a knight”, said Horace, mock anger in his voice.

“There you go then”, said Will, grinning now.

“We’ll get her back you know”, Horace said.

“I know”, Will replied.


	3. Would you like me to show you how to use the bucket?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is set during the end bit of Will's apprenticeship, just before Halt and Pauline get together. I hope you enjoy it :)

Will was having an internal war with himself while he was cleaning the floor of Halt’s cabin. He glanced over to where Halt and Crowley were sitting at the table, talking in hushed voices and not even glancing his way.

Crowley had arrived the previous day and this was the fourth time Will had seen them conversing like this. What they were talking about, however, was anyone’s guess. Sometimes when Crowley visited it was just to catch up with his friend, but other times it was to inform him of a new mission or something equally exciting.

Will glanced up again, but the two senior rangers were so good at keeping their faces impassive that he still couldn’t glean the topic of their conversation. Will’s dilemma was, should he go and try and eavesdrop on the conversation and risk invoking Halt’s wrath, or should he mind his own business and keep cleaning the floor.

After a few moments of wiping, Will came to his decision. He was curious by nature, it was why Halt chose him as an apprentice and he had never minded his own business in his life. 

With his decision made, Will took his cloth and bucket and as subtly as he could, sidled towards Halt and Crowley. Once he got closer to the table he started to hear muffled snippets of conversation.

“Seriously, Halt”, Crowley was saying

“Absolutely not, it’s too risky”, replied Halt.

Will’s pulse quickened, the must be talking about a mission. He wet the cloth and moved closer to the table.

“It’s been twenty-five years, too risky my arse”

“Come on, Crowley. You know her, I would only make it worse”

Will stopped wiping, his brain trying to catch up with what he just heard. Halt had said ‘her’ and there was only one ‘her’ in his life. He wondered what Crowley was trying to talk him into, and what that had to do with Lady Pauline.

“What’s the other option, just sitting your cabin pinning”, Crowley said and Will could hear the smirk in his voice.

“I have never pinned in my life”, growled Halt darkly, “anyway, what would you have me do?”.

“I don’t know, talk to her tell her how you f-”, Crowley was cut off. Will saw out of the corner of his eye that Halt had held up his hand to stall Crowley. He then saw him turn to face him.

“Will”, Halt started, the threat evident in his voice, “Would you care to tell me why that cloth in your hand has been sitting on the same bit of floor, not moving, for the past minute. I hope that you are not eavesdropping on your superior’s conversation, which by the way definitely none of your business”.

Will blanched, “N-no, Halt definitely not”.

“Well then”, Halt said, his voice still cold, “the only possible explanation is that after all these years as my apprentice, you have forgotten how to clean”.

“N-”, Will started, but Halt cut him off.

“In that case, I’ll have to show you, stand up”

“Halt, really?”

“Stand. Up”, Halt said, and Will shot to his feet, experience telling him not to argue.

“It's easy. Here, let me show you”, Halt took the cloth and bucket. He dipped the cloth in the water, humming with every motion. He then took a firm grip on Will’s hair and wiped the wet cloth all over his face. 

“Would you like me to show you how to use the bucket?”, Halt asked when he had released Will's hair.

“No!”, Will practically shouted, but it was too late. Halt upturned the bucket of water on his head and tapped the top, giving off a resounding clank.

“Clean this up, then practice your cartography”, Halt said and Will nodded. After a moment of hesitation, Halt added, “in your room, with the door shut”.


	4. So where are my flowers?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is set towards the last bit of Will's apprenticeship when he's being all awkward with Alyss.

“Will, you need to clean out the stables”, Halt said looking up from his papers as Will exited his room, one hand behind his back.

“Yes, Halt”, Will replied, “But I just need to quickly go to Redmont first, we’ve run out of…. coffee”, he said after a brief pause.

The true reason Will wanted to go to Redmont was to present a bunch of flowers to Alyss. He was currently hiding said bunch of flowers behind his back because he knew Halt would exact a world of mockery on him if he found out.

“Coffee?”, Halt replied sceptically, with his eyebrow raised.

“Yes, coffee”, Will replied more confidently, striding over to the pot and opening it, showing it to be almost empty.

“Right then, you better ride to Redmont, we can’t be out of coffee”.

“Great, I’ll be off then”, Will said walking towards the door, still hiding his hand behind his back.

“Wait”, Halt called out and Will turned reluctantly, “what are you hiding behind your back?”.

“Nothing!”, Will said quickly shoving the flowers in his belt out of Halt’s sight, “see?”, he spread his hands.

“What are you up to?”, Halt asked, raising his eyebrow again.

“What, nothing, honestly. Halt, I would never lie to you. I respect you far too much for that.”, Will said quickly, trying to keep any traces of sarcasm out of his voice.

“Very well”, Halt said, “Get going”.

Will walked out the door smiling, thinking that he had pulled that off very well if he did say so himself.

\----------- the next day -------------

“Will, why do I have no clean shirts? I thought I told you to do the laundry yesterday”, Halt’s voice came from inside his room. A couple of moments later and he came out wearing his sleeping shirt.

“I didn’t have time, I was cleaning the stables”, Will replied from the kitchen.

“That’s strange because a little bird told me you were somewhere else”.

“Mucking out the stables is strange but a talking bird isn’t?”, Will shot back.

“Will, what have I told you about trying to be funny?”, Halt asked, his voice dark.

“I shouldn’t”, Will replied, hanging his head slightly.

After a brief pause, Halt spoke again, “so, where are my flowers?”.

“Your flowers?” Will asked, knowing where this conversation was headed and not liking it at all.

“I heard Alyss got some. I assumed you’d be handing them out. Or is she the only one to receive a token of your affections?”, Halt said with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes. Er, No. Er...what? It's not a token of anything, affection or otherwise.”, Will responded, flustered.

“I see. So why were you trying to hide them from me yesterday?”, Halt said, he was smirking now.

“I wasn't. I mean, I was. Just, erm, I didn't want you to get the wrong impression.”

“And what's the right impression?”, Halt looked to be immensely enjoying this.

“I was just trying to cheer her up, she’s had a lot of work recently”, Will said, trying to come across confident.

“Pick them yourself?”, aked Halt mockingly.

“Maybe. I was only trying to be nice.”

“Alright then”, said Halt, obviously unconvinced, “You better start on that laundry then”.


End file.
